Concentrations of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Paired Maternal Plasma and Human Milk in the New Hampshire Birth Cohort

Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are environmentally persistent endocrine-disrupting chemicals associated with long-term health outcomes. PFAS are transferred from maternal blood to human milk, an important exposure source for infants, and understanding of this transfer is evolving. We characterized concentrations of 10 PFAS in human milk (n = 426) and compared milk-to-plasma concentrations of 9 PFAS among a subset of women with paired samples (n = 294) from the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study using liquid chromatography-isotope dilution tandem mass spectrometry. We examined the relationship between perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in plasma versus milk and fit linear regression models to assess relationships between milk PFOA and PFOS and participant characteristics. The median plasma PFOA concentration was 0.94 ng/mL (interquartile range, IQR, 0.59-1.34) and that of PFOS was 2.60 ng/mL (IQR 1.80-3.90); the median milk PFOA concentration was 0.017 ng/mL (IQR 0.012-0.027) and that of PFOS was 0.024 ng/mL (IQR 0.016-0.036). PFOA and PFOS plasma and milk concentrations showed correlations of rho = 0.83 and 0.77, respectively (p < 0.001). Parity, previous lactation, week of milk collection, and body mass index were inversely associated with milk PFAS. We estimate that even among our general population cohort, some infants (similar to 6.5%) are exposed to amounts of PFAS via milk that may have long-term health impacts.

Automated summary

PFAS are persistent endocrine-disrupting chemicals associated with long-term health outcomes. We measured the concentrations of PFAS in human milk and found that the concentrations in milk were positively correlated with those in plasma. Factors such as parity, previous lactation, week of milk collection, and body mass index were inversely associated with milk PFAS concentrations. Our study suggests that even in the general population, some infants may be exposed to PFAS through milk, which could have long-term health impacts.